Abstract

In 2023, India-based multinational conglomerate Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) introduced a pioneering 5-year maternity policy aimed at supporting women employees throughout their motherhood journey, from pre-conception to the child's early years. This comprehensive policy, applicable to women employees in the automobile division, aimed to address the challenges women faced in balancing career and family life, particularly in a male-dominated manufacturing industry. An internal study conducted in M&M’s automobile division in 2023 revealed significant differences between the retention and return to work rate (RWR) of permanent employees for the fiscal year 2022–2023. A significant gender disparity was revealed in RWR among permanent employees who took maternity leave. Only 60% of female employees went back to work following maternity leave, compared to 100% of male employees after paternity leave. Despite the company being consistent in retaining 75% of employees of both genders availing of parental leave, the percentage of women employees in M&M stood at just 8%. With the revised maternity policy, the company expected to attract and retain more female talent by addressing their unique needs during critical life stages. It remained to be seen how the revised policy would help M&M increase RWR among its female employees.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Demonstrate the various elements of a maternity plan.
• Identify strategic reasons why maternity benefits are an important component of employee benefits and welfare schemes.
• Analyze the challenges in implementing an effective maternity benefits plan.

Keywords

Mahindra and Mahindra; Human Resource Management; Employee Benefit; HR Policy; Maternity Plan; Gender Diversity; Strategic linkage; Employee Retention; Human Resource Planning